John p



J.- P. VAN -VLECK.

Hand Seeder.

Patented Feb. 26, 1867 N4 PETERS, PHOTO UTHOGRAF I fw gaunt 'ffire.

JOHN P. van VLEOKQOF BOOK COUNTY, WISCONSIN.

' Letters Patent No. 62,880, dated February 26,1867.

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Be it known that I, JOHN P. VAN VLEcK, of Rock county, and State ofWisconsin, have invented a new and useful Machine for Planting Corn andother seeds; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification, the sameletters of reference indicating the same'part in each figure: I

The nature of my invention consists'in making the seed-cup bar in acirculor or curved form, so as to fit a curved bottom of a. hopper;alsoinhinging o'r pivoting the rear end of theseed-cup bar to a movablebearing to secure the fitting the forwardend of the bar to the bottom ofthe hopper as it becomes worn; also in, r bevelling the upper side oftli'e forward end of the bar to cause it to act as a plough to keep theseed in the bottom of the hopper from packing, and t'oinsurc the fillingof tho secd-cup also in bevclling the bottom of v the hopper towards thechannel in the centre of the bottom of the hopper in'whieh the bar isworked, which, with the bevelled point of the bar, keeps the seed in alivelymtate, and prevents its packing, to which it is liable if it isdamp .or mixed with chn-if or foreign substances.

Figure 1 is an elevation, with a portion broken 'awav to show a part ofthe mechanism. cut longitudinally through its centre; r l u I I Figure 2is a top view of the hopper bottom, seed-cup bar, seed-cup, andsliding-plate to regulate the amount of seed desired in the cupp IFigure 3 is a sectional view efa hopper bottoinat right angleswith fig.2, Figure 4 is a view of a movable'bearing at right angles with it, asshown infig. 1; also shows a' mode of attaching it to the framework ofthe planteli Figure 5 is across-section of the metal ic'points of theplanter, from a tob in' fig. 1, being at right angles therewith, and is'a vertical view. I

i A and B are parts of. my planter to whieh are attached hopper E,bearing G, and seed-cup bar H; also the covering F, of cloth or othersuitable elastic material. At the lower ends 'ofA and B are the metallichollow plates C and D, hinged or pivote'd'at 0. These plates are rigidlyattached to A and B, and the pivots'e act as fulcrai opening theirpoints as the tops of A and B, to which handles, J, may be attached, aremoved towards each other, depositing the seed which has fallen from theseed-cup I (into the cavity made. by the plates when closed) into thesoil, into which the points of the plates have been thrust. H is acurved seed-cup bar, hinged by pivot h to a movable bearing, G. Theseed-cup I is contracted or enlarged in its capacity by means of slideL, and by means of slot d and screwf the slide is held in place asdesired. The brush -V is held in place by plate 2:, bolt z, and nut y,and serves the usual purposes of a brush cut-off when the cup is filled.At 9 is the bevel on ,the upper side of the end of the seed-cup bar toplough underneath the grain as tlfe parts A and B are carried together,.enliveni'ng and keeping in motion the grain as it moves forward on thebottom M, and between the bevelled sides K and K{ and as the seed-cupbar is drawn back the grain gravitates towards the bottom M, down theinpline or bevel sides K and K thus keeping the grain in constantmotion. This -I deem of great 7 value, for while the grain is kept in alively condition it cannot pack and prevent the filling the seed-cup,even thoughjthc grain may be damp or mixedwith chaff orforeigusubstances. Thcmovable bearing G, I also deem important, as, bythe slots 1' and sere'wsj, it can, be 'moved longitudinally to cause theforward end of the'seedcup bar to fit properly the bottom M of thehopper, especially when the end of the bar has. become worn on its underside. The hollow, tapering points or blades G and D, hinged by pivots c,are of great value, as they "efi'ectually prevent the usual greattrouble of leaking or slobbering and wasting .the grain as the machineis used. The adjustability of the seed-cup bar, its curved form, itsforward end formed so as to plough up the grain in the bottom of thehopper, the bevelled or inclined sides of the hopper, and the hollowtapering points or blades, pivoted to operate as described, I deemindesperisable to the perfect working of a seed planter. It may also beobserved that in my planter the, operator can always readily see insidethe machine at the exact time theseed should drop from the cup, and thusknow whether or not, for any cause, there has been a failure of .thedelivery of the seed from the cup into the hollow points or blades fordepositing in the ground. I am aware that pivoted legs, cloth sides, aseed-boxand slide, are parts common in hand corn planters, particularlyas describcd in a patent granted to Jacob Morris, dated June 13, 1865,and I do not claim those parts independently of my improvements thereinand additions thei'ct'b; but what I do claim as my invention, and desireto seem-g by Letters Patent, is-

1. Curved sed-cup ban H, in Combination with hoppm' E, when botharenonstrncwu and operated substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

2. A general arrangementof the parts A, B, E, F, C, D, H, and G, whgnthe whole are constructed, conibinod, and operatd substantially as andfor the purposes described. I i I JOHN P. VAN VLEOK.

Wi tnsses GEORGE IEmcE,

MICHAEL A. OTTQ

